WORLD WATCH.

AUSTRALIA Bed bugs are threatening to wreck the...

November 14, 2004|By Larry Habegger and James O'Reilly.

AUSTRALIA

Bed bugs are threatening to wreck the Christmas and New Year's holidays for travelers to various places here. They have been a problem not just for cheap hotels or Outback establishments, but also in some hotel chains and luxury resorts. An entomologist estimates that treatments for bed bug bites in Sydney have increased 800 percent in the last four years, and a tour operator suggests that as many as 80 percent of backpacker hostels in Sydney's eastern suburbs have had major infestations.

GREECE

Ignoring the wishes of the Greek government, popular opinion and 10 years of efforts by Greece to prevent the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia being called just Macedonia, the U.S. government officially decided to do so, referring now to the country as the Republic of Macedonia. As a result, demonstrations could occur at the U.S. Embassy in Athens or the Consulate General in Thessaloniki, or other places.

GUATEMALA

Travel on the country's highways and back roads is dangerous because of increased ban-ditry. U.S. Mission personnel are prohibited from using inter- and intra-city buses that resemble U.S. school buses because these vehicles are frequently the targets of violent robberies.

UNITED KINGDOM

Criminals in London are using portable scanners on ATMs to capture the details of bank cards, then making clones and emptying bank accounts of unsuspecting victims. In October a U.S. flight attendant lost $4,000, and a pilot reported $2,000 missing from his account after using ATMs around London. The flight attendant used two ATMs near Victoria Station; the pilot withdrew cash at Trafalgar Square. Charges to the flight attendant's card turned up in Valencia, Spain, suggesting the thieves are an organized gang. They appear to be targeting machines near train stations, including the London Underground, and at grocery stores. The scanners in these scams are clearly visible if you know what to look for. They are attached by double-sided tape directly above the slot for the card and are boxy in shape. If you have any doubts about an ATM, don't use it.

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